Laura's Choice: Leaping through Time
by pineapple-dalek
Summary: A collection of leaps mainly following Laura's perspective, with occasional glimpses of cannon characters. Laura is an OFC. Main character hurt/comfort. Follows Laura's Choice: Bringing Sam Home.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! So this is "story" 2 of my Laura's Choice series. Sorry it took so long, but life has been more intense than expected. Anyways, each chapter is going to be a separate leap, almost always following Laura so we won't see much of the project. It's going to take longer for me to update, although I will try to update at the beginning of each month. I think I have eight leaps planned out and one or two of them might be split into multiple chapters. I'm trying to think outside the box and hit a few "controversial" issues as best I can, although I'm not that good. I have a 3rd and 4th story/project to end Laura's series, but I'm probably going to keep this story collection open for a few years in order to add more leaps, so feel free to make suggestions!

 _DISCLAIMER:_ I'm not associated with _Quantum Leap, Chronicles of Narnia, Psych_ , or anything else you might recognize. All characters belong to their respective owners. I'm not an expert in any field, especially medicine, and I use google and wikipedia a lot.

 _ **WARNINGS:**_ There's mention/descriptions of rape, suicide, depression, and death. There might also be some graphic violence, but probably not. I'll try to put applicable warnings in the beginning of each chapter. **This chapter mentions rape and drug use**.

I have this listed as T rating, but one or two of the stories will fall under M rating. I will make sure that I label those as such so that people can skip if needed.

Comments/reviews are very much appreciated! I know Quantum Leap doesn't have a very big fanbase, but personally this is my favorite show ever (partly b/c it's not very well known/remembered), I've even been Al as my Halloween costume for a few years!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Stephanie Thomas - 1997**

"You better get in that tub right this minute young lady or you will be in a whole heap of trouble!"

Laura looked around as she adjusted to her new surroundings. She was in a moderately clean bathroom that showed signs of children in the house. Before she could look in the mirror, a woman about 30 years old and carrying a baby appeared in the doorway.

"Stephanie! If you are not in that bathtub by the time I count to 20, you won't get any dessert for a week!"

"But…" Laura started to protest but the woman cut her off.

"The only butt I should see is yours in that tub! 1! 2!"

"Okay, okay!" Laura said as she turned her back and started to take her shirt off. When she noticed she had no bra, Laura covered her breasts.

"What are you doing, Steph?! Just hurry up! I'm already at 8."

Glancing at the mirror, Laura noted that her host looked all of 5 or 6 years old. The awkward situation made more sense. As who was either Stephanie's mom or babysitter continued counting, Laura quickly took the rest of the muddy clothes off and stepped into the tub.

"Thank you. By the time I'm done changing Byron, you better have all that mud off of you."

"Yes mama."

Once the mother left, Laura sighed as she leaned back. "This is going to be an interesting leap." Laura mumbled as she grabbed the bright pink loofah. She was halfway done when she heard the imaging chamber door open. Laura quickly drew her knees up and hugged them, trying to cover herself as much as possible.

"Laura?" Al called as he walked through the wall. "Ah, there you are! Bath time, huh?" He grinned.

"Yes! And I would appreciate it if you didn't look at me right now!" Laura hissed.

"Why?" Al shrugged. "I have 4 daughters and a wife, I know all about the female body."

"Please stop! This is different, and you know it!"

"Maybe so, but remember that you're Stephanie, a 5 year old, meaning that your mom will be back any minute to ask why you're not scrubbing that mud off."

"Uncle Al, can you please just…turn around and not even glance at me? Please?"

Al shrugged as he raised the handlink. "If you're really that uncomfortable, I can leave."

"No, I need information!"

"Alright." Al turned his back to her and started reading off of the handlink. "You are Stephanie Thomas, 5 years old. Mother's name is Alexis, father is Charles, little brother Byron. It's April 17, 1997 and…"

"What day of the week?" Laura frowned as she scrubbed more mud off.

"Huh?"

"What day of the week is it? Sunday, Monday, Tuesday…."

"I'm glad you know your days of the week." Al hit the handlink. "It's, um, it's Thursday."

"Thursday?"

"Yeah."

"This means that tomorrow is Friday."

"Yep, you'll fit right in as a 5 year old." Al grinned.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Which means that Stephanie has school tomorrow."

"Yeah, and?"

Laura sighed, "Some of her classmates might be able to see me as me and not Stephanie."

"Oh, I see. Then you better think of something quick because I think it's bedtime." Al said as they heard Alexis coming down the hall.

"Stephanie, honey? Who are you talking to?"

"No one."

Al hit the handlink. "Say your invisible friend! Stephanie's 5, she could have one."

"Just my imaginary friend, mama."

Stephanie's mom laughed as she entered the bathroom. "Prince Phillip? I thought he left in August before you started pre-kindergarten."

"He did, but now he's back for a visit."

"He is, huh? Well, what are you two talking about?" Alexis asked as she knelt by the tub and picked up a small bucket.

"That I don't feel good mama, my tummy hurts." Laura tried to put on a sad expression.

Alexis frowned as she filled the bucket with water from the tub and poured it over Laura's hair. "Were you eating mud again? I told you that you can't eat mud pies!"

"Yes, mama. I think it was the mud. My tummy really, really hurts!"

"Maybe I'll call Grandma, see if she can watch you tomorrow."

"What about school?" Laura asked innocently.

"Laura! What are you doing?" Al exclaimed.

Alexis laughed as she grabbed some shampoo. "I think you can miss one day of school, as long as we don't make it habit!"

"Okay, Mama."

Alexis frowned. "Since when did you start calling me Mama?"

"Um…one, one of my friends says it and I thought that I would try it. You don't like it?"

Alexis shook her head. "No, it's fine. I was just wondering when you changed things up, that's all."

"Only today, mommy."

"Okay, sweetie. I think it's time for bed. Lean back and close your eyes." Alexis pinched Laura's nose and kept a hand on her back as she lowered Laura's head underwater. "There, all clean. Come on, time to get out."

"Okay." Laura glanced at Al's back before doing as she was told.

Alexis dried Laura's hair before wrapping the towel around Laura. "I put a clean nightgown and undies on the bed. I'm going to check on Byron before I tuck you in."

"Yes mommy." Laura walked slowly behind Alexis, trying to keep the towel from riding up since it barely covered her.

Al hit the handlink. "We don't have any more info for you, so get a good night's sleep."

Laura turned towards Al but he was already through the Imaging Chamber door. She sighed and went towards the room that had Barbie dolls and stuffed animals on the floor. Double checking that she was really alone, Laura quickly put the clothes on, slightly surprised that they fit her. "Huh, weird." Rubbing the towel through her hair, Laura looked around the bedroom. There was a bookcase filled with various children's books, a dresser, and a toy chest that was propped open. The closet door was open and Laura saw about 20 dresses hung up, including a few tutus. "A girly-girl. So not me." Laura mumbled.

"Stephanie." Alexis said as she stood in the doorway. "Why aren't you in bed yet?"

"Sorry, mommy." Laura said as she climbed onto the bed.

Alexis frowned as she walked over. "Now I know you must be sick. I can't remember the last time that you didn't jump onto the bed." She sat down next to Laura and grabbed the book off of the end table. "I called Grandma, and she'll be more than happy to spend the day with you."

"Okay." Laura said as she tried to get comfortable.

"So, where were we?" Alexis asked as she opened the book. "Ah, here we go: _It was nearly three weeks after their landing that the Dawn Treader was towed out of Narrowhaven harbour. Very solemn farewells had been spoken and a great crowd had assembled to see her departure. There had been cheers, and tears too, when Caspian made his last speech to the Lone Islanders and parted from the Duke and his family, but as the ship, her purple sail still flapping idly, drew further from the shore, and the sound of Caspian's trumpet from the poop came fainter across the water, everyone became silent. Then she came into the wind. The sail swelled out, the tug cast off and began rowing back, the first real wave ran up under the Dawn Treader's prow, and she was a live ship again. The men off duty went below, Drinian took the first watch on the poop, and she turned her head eastward round the south of Avra…."_

* * *

"Hey Laura? Are you going to wake up anytime soon?"

Laura groaned as a voice woke her up. "I'm sleeping."

"Well, you better hurry up so we can talk before Stephanie's mom comes in here and shuffles you off to Grandma's house."

Laura frowned as she recognized the voice, and it wasn't Al's "Ari?"

"Yeah, girl!" Arianna laughed. "Maybe if you got up, we could talk!"

Laura smiled as she sat up and pushed the blanket to her lap. "Ari! What are you doing here?"

"I'm observing, obviously." Arianna grinned as she waved the handlink. "They finally convinced the old man to let someone else help every once in a while and I was the logical choice, especially after Trudy didn't fare so well."

"No, she didn't." Laura grimaced. She glanced at the closed door before asking, "How does it feel?"

"To be honest, it's kind of weird. Everything looks so real, but if I try to touch something, my hand goes right through." Arianna demonstrated with the bookcase.

"Well believe me, it is real. At least to me."

Arianna laughed. She looked up at the ceiling and nodded before turning back to Laura. "Dad says that we need to stop fooling around and get back to work."

"I can't see him, is he here?" Laura frowned as she looked around.

"Nah, he's in the control room, talking to me via Ziggy. Something about not confusing you and letting me take the lead." Arianna shrugged and typed on the handlink. "Okay, Ziggy says that the reason you're here is because your babysitter is raped and murdered tonight."

Laura stared at Arianna with shock. "Are, are you sure?"

"Yeah. According to a newspaper article, Alexis and Charles Thomas arrived home around 11:30 tonight. Both children were asleep but the babysitter Tracy McCormick was missing. Her car was parked on the street and when Charles checked, he found Tracy under a blanket in the backseat, already dead." Arianna grimaced.

"So I should convince Alexis and Charles not to go out tonight, right?"

Arianna shook her head. "No. Since there were no signs of a struggle, although she was drugged, it was most likely someone that Tracy knew. Ziggy gives it a 79.3% chance that Tracy will still die tonight if she doesn't come here."

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"I don't know, but you have about 15 hours to figure it out. According to the autopsy, Tracy's time of death was 10:43pm."

The door opened and Alexis walked in. "Stephanie, honey? How are you feeling today?"

Laura held her stomach and grimaced. "My tummy still hurts. Am I still going to Grandma's?"

"Yes, sweetheart. But we need to hurry up if I'm going to drop you off at Grandma's before taking Byron to daycare."

"Byron's not coming too?"

"No, I figured it can be just you and Grandma today. Think of it as a treat for being such a good girl. Now, do you want to wear a dress or shorts today?" Alexis asked as she went over to the closet.

"Shorts, please." Laura answered quickly.

Arianna giggled, "I know that you never liked dresses, Laur, but some of these are really cute!"

Laura sent a glare at Arianna and mouthed, 'Go away.'

"Alright, I'm going. Remember that you're supposed to be sick; don't start acting better until after lunch or you might end up at school. I know dad did that to me a few times when he realized that I wasn't sick, although I got away with it more times than not." Arianna rolled her eyes and laughed as she looked at the ceiling. "Oh, come on dad! I take after you more than mom, can you really blame me to want to hang out at the project with you than be at boring old school; especially if I had a math test I wasn't prepared for?! Not all of us are as smart as Laura!" Arianna shook her head and smiled at Laura. "I have to go. Dad is pissed even though it happened over 10 years ago! I'll catch you later." Arianna entered the code for the chamber door and exited.

Laura tried to hold in her laughter and Alexis turned to her with an outfit picked out. "What's so funny, Steph?"

"Nothing, just something Prince Phillip said."

"Uh huh. And what did he say?"

Laura shrugged. "Just that …he shouldn't have eaten the mud pies either."

Alexis shook her head as she handed Laura her clothes. "You and your imagination. I need you to hurry up if you want to say goodbye to daddy before he leaves for work."

"Okay, mommy." Laura smiled as she started to get dressed.

* * *

Laura sighed as she absentmindedly combed a doll's hair. She did not realize how boring it was to leap into a little kid. Stephanie wasn't old enough to read, her grandma didn't have any kid movies on VHS, and it started raining so Laura was stuck inside with just a small collection of toys to play with. At least if Laura had gone to Stephanie's school, there would have been some work to do, even if it was simple letter recognition and pattern making.

Laura put the doll down and went over to where Stephanie's Grandma Nettie was knitting while listening to a jazz station. "Grandma?"

"Yes, Deary?"

"I'm bored! Can we play a game?"

"I don't have any games, remember? Let's see, what else could we do on a rainy day?" Grandma Nettie rocked in the rocker as she thought. Laura was finding herself growing impatient and was going to ask if she could take a nap when Grandma Nettie finally said, "I know! Do you want to help me bake some cookies?"

"Yes! That sounds like fun." Laura smiled.

"I think I have all the ingredients for sugar cookies." Grandma Nettie smiled as she set aside her knitting. "I'll pull out everything while you go wash your hands."

"Okay."

* * *

Two hours later, Laura was laughing as she brushed the flour off her clothes. She used to bake cookies with her Grandma Abby when they visited and was starting to feel homesick. Grandma Nettie let Laura do all the rolling and shape cutting and somehow Laura got flour everywhere, no matter how hard she tried to keep everything neat. It was like part of her body was the 5 year old she was pretending to be.

Grandma Nettie laughed as she placed the last tray into the oven. "Go upstairs to the bathroom and wash all that flour off of your face, young lady! Your mother should be here in a half hour and she does not need to see how big of a mess you can make."

"Okay, Grandma." Laura smiled as she went upstairs. She jumped when Arianna appeared at the top of the stairs. "Are you trying to scare me?"

Arianna shook her head. "Sorry, it's not my fault! When I opened the Imaging Chamber door, I was outside, so I had Ziggy center me on you. If you want to blame anyone, blame Ziggy."

"I can't exactly talk to her right now, but feel free to pass on my discomfort." Laura said as she entered the bathroom and turned on the water.

"Ziggy says that sometimes it is hard to zero in on a moving target, even if they are only 13 years in the past. And if you want to tweak the program, then you are more than welcomed to leap home and fix it."

"If I could, I would. Although if I leaped home, we probably wouldn't even need the program tweaked."

"You got that right." Arianna mumbled.

"What?" Laura frowned.

"Nothing! Ziggy has more information about the …incident tonight. Apparently the police had suspected Tracy's boyfriend, Bobby, but he had an alibi. And in small towns like this, they'll do almost anything to let the star quarterback keep his precious football scholarship."

Laura nodded as she washed the flour off her face. "So it was the boyfriend?"

"Possibly. The only evidence they found were his prints in the car. Although since they were dating, it made sense. They didn't have any solid evidence, so they had to let him go."

"So I'm supposed to stop a 17 year old boy from drugging, raping, and murdering his girlfriend."

"Yep."

"All while pretending to be a 5 year old girl."

"Pretty much." Arianna shrugged.

Laura sighed as she looked at her reflection. "Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

Laura tried to watch 101 Dalmatians as if she was watching it for the first time since Stephanie's mom had just gotten it from the store. Personally, Laura preferred the animated version since the dogs talked, and the live-action one was just a bit too realistic. Byron at least seemed to be enjoying himself and would clap whenever a dog appeared on the screen.

When the doorbell rang, Laura got up and was halfway to the door when Alexis came down the staircase. "Stephanie! What do you think you're doing?!"

Laura cringed. "I want to help."

"Why don't you go back to your movie, honey? You've been begging me for weeks to buy it for you."

"But mommy!"

"Go watch your movie, sweetie! I need to talk to Tracy for a little bit."

"Okay." Laura sighed and headed back to the den. Looking at Byron in the playpen, she mumbled, "At least I'm not you; that would have been worse."

"What would have been worse, Steph?" Charles asked as he checked his coat pockets.

"If the bad lady buy-ded the doggies." Laura tried not to cringe at her phrasing. She had gotten weird looks all day whenever she talked 'too well for a 5 year old'. Arianna had to remind her how regular 5 year olds talk since Laura spoke better than some teenagers by age 5.

"Bought, not buy-ded." Charles laughed and rubbed Laura's hair. "And don't worry, honey. The good guys win, trust me. They always do. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, lots."

"Good. I'll let Tracy know that you can have some ice cream before she puts you to bed."

"Can I wait for you to tuck me in tonight?"

"Aw, honey! We'll be back real late. You need to sleep since we are going to the zoo tomorrow, okay?"

Laura sighed. "Okay, daddy."

"Good." Charles kissed the top of her head before moving to Byron to do the same. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Be good."

Laura just smiled as she watched Charles leave. After a minute, Tracy and Alexis walked into the living room. "Hey squirt!" Tracy smiled.

"Hey Tracy." Laura mumbled as she turned back to the TV.

Alexis sighed, "Stephanie hasn't been feeling well today and seems a bit sluggish. I think that she might need to go to bed early."

"No, mommy! I want to stay up until you get home!" Laura whined.

Alexis smiled as she came over and gently rubbed Laura's hair. "Aw, honey! We're going to be out late and you need your sleep. Please listen to Tracy and go to bed when you're told."

"Yes, mommy." Laura sighed as Alexis kissed her hair.

"Have a good time, Mrs. Thomas." Tracy smiled as she sat next to Laura on the couch.

"Thank you again, Tracy." Alexis smiled as she left the room.

Tracy waved before looking at Byron. "And how is young Bryon tonight?" Byron laughed as he patted his legs. Tracy smiled, "Good, glad to hear it! And how are you, Miss Stephanie?"

Laura shrugged as she looked at the movie. "Okay, I guess."

"Do you still feel sick?"

"No, I'm just tired."

"Little kids are never 'just tired' unless it's bedtime. Is it bedtime?"

Laura looked at Tracy and just shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

Tracy crossed her arms. "No, something is wrong with you. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you've been kidnapped by pirates and someone was impersonating you!"

Laura laughed nervously. "Why would pirates kidnap me?"

"Maybe they've been watching you and thought that you would make a good pirate so they're going to train you."

"They why wouldn't they kidnap Byron, he's younger."

"They don't like dealing with stinky diapers." Tracy held her nose and waved her other hand in front of her face.

Laura laughed and looked back at the movie.

"Having fun?" Al asked as he appeared in the living room. Laura jumped as Byron started to cry. Al frowned as he looked at Byron. "What's his problem? Kids usually love me!"

Tracy got up and went over to Byron and cooed, "Aw, what's wrong By? Did the movie scare you?" She picked him up and held him to her chest.

"Come on buddy! I'm not going to hurt you." Al said as he came closer. Byron just cried louder and turned his face away from Al.

"I'll be in my room." Laura said as she got up.

"Why?" Tracy asked loudly over Byron's crying.

"Cause he's hurting my ears!" Laura held her hands over her ears and quickly left the room.

Al met her at the top of the stairs. "He's got quite the set of lungs on him. I wonder what about me set him off."

"Maybe because you're a stranger." Laura shrugged as she led the way into Stephanie's room and shut the door. "He cried at me this morning but I managed to win him over."

"Kids love me though." Al pouted.

Laura laughed as she sat on the bed. "So, what's up?"

"I wanted to see if you have a plan for tonight?"

Laura sighed. "I tried to convince them to let me stay up until my parents, I mean Stephanie's parents come back, but they shot me down. My bedtime is probably the same as last night at 8:30, so I figured that I could just pretend to be asleep and then sneak downstairs to try to stop anything from happening."

"Not much of plan." Al commented.

"Did Dr. Beckett ever have super detailed plans?"

"No, not really. He kind of just went with the flow."

"And that's what I will do." Laura said as she heard Tracy coming upstairs. "Please be back here by 10 so you can tell me what's going on."

"Got it." Al said as he opened the imaging chamber door.

There was a knock on the bedroom door as Tracy said, "Hey squirt? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Laura responded as she opened the door.

"Good." Tracy smiled as she bounced Byron in her arms. "Hey, how about after I put Byron to bed, we eat some ice cream?"

Laura smiled, "That sounds awesome!"

Tracy frowned at her. "Awesome? Since when have you said awesome?"

"My friend says it." Laura shrugged as she slipped past Tracy and made her way to the staircase.

* * *

Laura nervously watched the clock as she laid under the covers. "Come on, Uncle Al! Where are you?" It was 10:18, and he had not shown up yet. Suddenly, she heard the doorbell ring. As quietly as she could, Laura got up and made her way to the staircase. Peering around the corner, she watched Tracy open the door.

"Hey Bobby! What are you doing here?"

Bobby grinned as he walked in and wrapped his arms around Tracy's waist. "I thought you could use some company once the kiddies were in bed."

Tracy shook her head. "You know Mrs. Thomas doesn't like you being here."

"I'll be gone before they get back."

"Sorry Bobby, but I don't want to lose Mrs. Thomas' trust. She's one of my regulars and pays me a lot more than anyone else." Tracy tried to pull away from Bobby but he grabbed her wrist. "Bobby, let go! You're hurting me!"

"A women's job is to please her man." Bobby growled as he kissed her.

Tracy managed to break the kiss and tried to put some distance between them, even with Bobby holding her wrist. "Please Bobby, I promise that we can hang out tomorrow. I don't want the kids to wake up."

"No, I'm not waiting." Bobby snapped back as he suddenly pulled a syringe out of his pocket and plunged it into Tracy's arm.

"What the hell?!" Tracy protested as she stumbled into the wall.

"Just a sedative I swiped from my dad's medicine bag. You'll be fine in a few hours." Bobby smiled as he pulled an unsteady Tracy out the door.

Laura was about to run down the stairs when she heard someone behind her.

"Laura! Wait!" Arianna yelled as she tried to catch her breath.

"I can't, Ari! I have to stop him." Laura yelled as she raced down the stairs.

Arianna re-centered at the bottom of the stairs and said, "You need to call an ambulance! The main cause of death was an overdose from the sedative. The stress from being raped made the affects more severe."

Laura nodded as she ran to the phone and dialed. "Hello? 911? Yes, I need help! My babysitter is being attacked! I just saw her boyfriend dru-stick something in her arm and take her outside! My address?" Laura looked around and found some mail nearby. She read the address off to the operator and said, "Please hurry!" She hung the phone back up and ran into the kitchen.

"Laura? What are you doing?" Arianna asked as she followed her.

"Well," Laura replied as she started looking through drawers and cupboards. "Bobby is big so I'm going to need something to defend myself with." She climbed up onto the counter and opened the cupboards. "Ah-ha!" She exclaimed as she located the knives.

"You better be careful, Laur. You can just as easily hurt yourself with that." Arianna warned as she checked the handlink. "Ziggy says that you need to act now!"

Laura carefully climbed down and ran out of the house. There was a car parked on the street and Laura hurried towards it. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and froze at what she saw. Tracy was starring unseeingly at the ceiling, her breath coming in short burst as tears trickled down her cheeks. Bobby was on top of her, panting and sweating. He looked up and glared at her. "Stephanie? What are you doing outside?"

"I, I." Laura swallowed past the lump in her throat and stepped closer, raising the knife. "Get off of Tracy! Now!"

"Little kids aren't supposed to play with knives, Stephanie. You need to go inside and put the knife away. Then go back to bed."

"NO!" Laura shouted. "GET OFF OF HER!"

"Stop yelling, Stephanie. You'll attract the neighbors." Bobby whispered nervously as he started to get off of Tracy.

"GOOD!" Laura yelled as she backed away from Bobby. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP! TRACY IS HURT!"

"You little bitch!" Bobby growled as he crawled out of the car and came after Laura.

"HELP!" Laura screamed as she ran down the street.

"HEY! What's happening?!" One of the neighbors yelled as they stepped outside.

"Crap." Bobby whispered as he changed directions and fled down the street.

Arianna checked on Tracy and yelled, "LAURA! Tracy stopped breathing!"

Once Laura was sure Bobby wouldn't come after her anymore, she dropped the knife and ran back to Tracy. "HELP! WE NEED HELP!" She quickly checked Tracy's pulse and whispered to Arianna, "Her pulse is slow, where's the ambulance?"

Arianna checked the handlink, "3 minutes away."

"We don't have that long." Laura mumbled as a couple joined them.

"Oh dear, what happened?!" The wife asked as the husband knelt down and checked Tracy over.

"Bobby stick-ded Tracy with sumthing and dragged-ded her outside." Laura cringed at her words as she moved out of the way.

The wife knelt in front of Laura and asked, "Why don't we go inside and wait for your parents to come home?"

Laura shook her head, "No, I wanna stay with Tracy!"

"Douglas is taking care of her, dear. Where's your brother?"

"Sleeping." Laura replied as she looked back at the car. Douglas was giving Tracy rescue breaths while a couple other neighbors joined to help. "I wanna stay."

"I hear the ambulance, sweetie. Everything is going to be fine." The wife said as she gently led Laura towards the house.

Laura looked at Arianna who was typing away on the handlink. "You did it, Laura! Tracy survives and after spending a week in the hospital, is released. Bobby is arrested and charged with attempted murder and rape, sentenced to 20 years in prison. Stephanie is given a medal and a $5,000 scholarship from the city for her bravery. And she decides to become a police officer."

Laura smiled as the blue light engulfed her and she leaped.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi *nervous wave*. I'm so sorry that it's been so long. But life is hectic and this leap took a lot longer to figure out. I'm still not done with it, but it's gonna be a long one so I decided to post half of it now, and hopefully finish it soon.

This chapter is a cross-over with Psych season 4 after the episode "Shawn takes a shot in the dark". I don't think that you need to have watched the show to understand this.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Abigail Lytar - 2009 (part 1)  
**

Before Laura is able to take in her surroundings, she hears someone yelp and exclaim, "You shocked me! How did that happen?!"

Laura frowned as she let go of someone's hand and turned to them. "What did you say?"

"You shocked me. Didn't you feel it?" He frowned at her and tilted his head. "Are you okay, Abs?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What were we talking about?"

"I was telling you about my latest case."

"Oh, right. Continue." She looked around and tried to gather some clues about where and when they were. They were on a pier and she could smell the salt water. By the guy's accent and store signs, she could tell that they were in America, probably California. It was also a bit chilly, most likely December since she saw Christmas decorations around.

"That's it? No, 'You should stop being so mean to Gus' or 'Lassie is going to shoot you one day if you keep that up.' Where's the feedback?!"

Laura smiled slightly as she looked for more clues. "Well, if you already know how I feel, why should I repeat myself?"

"Because the spirits aren't being very helpful right now and sometimes I just need to listen instead of talk!"

"Spirits?" Laura frowned as she looked back at the guy. "As in psychics?"

"Abs, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath and then shook her head. "Actually, no. I'm cold. Can we go somewhere warm? It's freezing out here." She rubbed her arms and tried to look uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sure." He gave her a concerned look as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "We'll get you inside and warm soon enough."

"Thanks." She smiled.

The guy gave her a bright smile as he led the way down the pier and along the beach. They fell into an awkward silence but Laura did not know what to say. She did not have much to go on yet. The guy kept calling her Abs, which had to be a nickname for Abby or Abigail. She would have to excuse herself to a restroom soon so she could look through her purse. They passed a person who had an iPhone, which told her that it was pretty close to the time she first leaped. "Come on, Uncle Al. Where are you?!" She whispered.

"What was that?" The guy asked with a frown.

"Nothing. I was just…saying that the stars are really pretty tonight." She smiled and looked up at the sky.

He looked up and nodded. "Yeah, you can totally see O'Reilly's belt."

"Orion's belt." She giggled.

"I've heard it both ways." He grinned as he led her to a door that said Psych. "After you, madam." He held open the door and turned on the lights

"Thanks." Laura stepped inside and looked around. It seemed to be a mix between an office and play room.

Shutting the door, he led the way into the inner room and turned on more lights. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Water is fine." Laura replied as she followed and kept looking around. There were two desks with the name Shawn Spencer on one and Burton Guster on the other. By all that she observed of him so far and the pictures around the room, Laura assumed that the guy was Shawn since the desk was messier. According to the front window, this was a psychic detective agency.

"Here you go, one ice cold water for you and a glass of pineapple juice for me!" The guy said as he handed her a bottle of water.

She smiled. "Thanks Shawn."

"No problem." He tilted his head slightly before shaking it and pointing towards the couch. "How about we watch a movie? I have Speed already in the player."

"Sure, sounds good." Laura replied as she sat down and took a sip of her water.

With a frown, Shawn sat his drink down and crossed his arms. "Okay, enough! Who are you and what have you done to my Abigail?!"

She looked at him nervously. "W-what do you mean, Shawn? I'm right here."

"No, you're not Abs. Abigail hates Speed. I don't know why, since Sandra Bullocks and Keanu Reeves are awesome in it! Plus, your whole…" He waved his hand up and down. "person-ness is so not Abigail. Your walk and talk are totally different. Abigail knows I work as a psychic and you sounded like a skeptic earlier when I mentioned talking to the spirits. So tell me now before I call the police to come arrest you!"

Laura looked at her lap and mumbled. "I can't believe that this has happened, especially on my third leap."

Shawn frowned. "Leap? What are you leaping from?"

She took a deep breath. "You're right." She looked at him. "I'm not Abigail. Well, I am, but I'm really not."

"Then who are you and where's Abs?" Shawn demanded but Laura could hear the fear in his voice.

"My name is…."

"DON'T TELL HIM!" Al yelled, making Laura jump. "You know the rules! You'll compromise everything and might not leap home!"

Laura turned a glare on Al and failed to notice that Shawn was looking in the same direction. "What was that?" Shawn asked.

Laura and Al both looked at him. "What was what?"

Shawn frowned as he looked around the room before looking back at Laura. "I heard something, at the exact moment that you jumped, which means you heard it too. But I only heard like a whisper and it wasn't clear enough to understand."

"You don't know what it was?" Laura asked.

Al groaned. "Laura, you're going to get us both in trouble!"

Shawn cocked his head in Al's direction. "There it went again! It's like listening to someone talk underwater."

Laura stood and turned Shawn's head so they were looking eye to eye. "Okay. I'm not Abigail, but I'm not allowed to tell you anything else, especially my name in case you try to find out about me or something."

"Where's Abs?"

"She's safe. I'm here to help. When I'm done helping, then she'll come back and I'll leave."

"What are you helping with?"

Laura shrugged, "I don't know yet. But since you were able to figure out that I'm not Abigail, then you probably have to help me."

Al groaned, "I can't believe that you're telling him anything!"

"And what is that voice that I'm hearing?" Shawn asked.

Laura smiled, "That's my friend and he's gonna figure out what I need to help with. Usually only little kids and pets can see and hear him."

"And the mentally absent." Al said as he tapped on the handlink.

Shawn's eyes traveled all over Laura's face before he nodded. "Okay, I believe you."

"Really?" Laura asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I am psychic after all."

She smiled. "Okay. I need to talk to my friend for a moment, do you mind if I have some privacy?"

"Sure." Shawn stood up. "I think I hear the peanut cart. Would you like something?"

"No thanks."

Shawn nodded and headed for the door. Before he reached it, he turned back and said, "Abigail is really important to me and if I find out that you killed her and are possessing her body, you are going to be in a lot of trouble!"

"I promise that Abigail is alive, safe, and unharmed."

"I hope so." Shawn said before he finally left.

Laura sighed and sat on the couch. "This is going to be interesting."

"You're telling me!" Al said as he hit the handlink. "You are Abigail Lytar, 32 year old kindergarten teacher. That is one Shawn Spencer, also 32 years old, and a psychic detective working with the Santa Barbara Police Department."

"A psychic?" Laura asked with disbelief.

"Yeah. A bunch of baloney if you ask me, but he has been working with the police department since 2006."

"And today is?"

"December 27, 2009."

"About six months behind current Project time." Laura nodded as she stood to pace. "Why can Shawn hear you?"

"I don't know, but there is no such thing as psychics!"

"Before you showed up, he had figured out that I wasn't Abigail."

Al narrowed his eyes as he followed her movements. "What exactly happened?"

Laura shrugged as she played with her hair. "I leaped in while we were walking along the pier, we talked about a few things, came back into the office, and he asked if I wanted to watch a movie. When I replied yes, he started asking who I was! Saying that I wasn't acting like Abigail and that some of the things that I said didn't line up with things that Abigail already knew."

"Well, then he's just very observant!"

"But he could hear you!"

"Not very clearly though. Ziggy has a theory that Shawn's brain waves are very similar to yours, which is why he can… notice me. Kind of like when you're trying to find a station on a radio and you can get a very static sound when off by a few kilohertz."

"Okay." Laura sighed as she stopped and turned towards him. "Do you know what I'm here to do yet?"

"Nope, but I'll let you know when I do. In the meantime, don't tell Shawn anything about yourself or the project! We are too close to the project time-wise and this is making me a bit uncomfortable." Al said as he opened the imaging chamber door.

"Okay. Hurry back!"

"Be good." Al gave her a look as he closed the door.

"Is he gone?" Shawn asked as he peered around the doorway.

Laura jumped as she turned towards him. "You scared me! I didn't hear you come in."

"Stealth mode." Shawn smiled as he walked over and handed her a bag of peanuts. "So, I'm guessing you're not allowed to tell me anything?"

"No, sorry."

"Not even your name?" Shawn smiled brighter.

Laura blushed and looked down. "I can't."

"Aw, come on! I won't tell anyone! I promise! I'm very good at keeping secrets."

"Laura." She smiled as she looked back Shawn. "My name is Laura."

"Well, Laura. What can the great Shawn Spencer, psychic detective, do to help you?"

Laura laughed. "Well, since my friend left…."

"Uncle Al." Shawn mumbled.

"What?!"

Shawn held a finger up to the side of his forehead "I'm sensing his name is Al but you call him Uncle Al, even though he's not your uncle."

"Oh, yeah." Laura laughed. "That was kind of impressive. Maybe you do have psychic powers."

"It's one of my best features, after my hair of course."

"I think you could try a buzz cut."

Shawn gasped and ran a hand through his hair. "You're just jealous of its awesomeness!"

"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Laura smiled.

"I'll let your comment slide since you're not from around here. So, do you want to watch a movie?"

"Oh, I don't know. Like I said, Uncle Al didn't really tell me much. I was hoping he'll give me Abigail's schedule."

"Well, I can help you with that!" Shawn smiled as he led her back to the couch. "Tonight is Sunday, a couple days after Christmas, and Abigail and I were going to spend the whole week together."

"The whole week?" Laura blushed.

"Yeah, pretty much. But believe me; I will not try anything on you. I can even take you home, to Abigail's apartment if you want."

"Well, I'm supposed to do whatever the person that I am was planning on doing. Within reason, obviously."

"So, if you had turned up while Abigail and I were, you know, in bed, would you have… kept going?"

She blushed deeper and looked away. "I, I um. I-I don't, don't know. Probably n-not if I could help, help it."

"You don't like me?" Shawn pouted.

"Yes, I mean no! I mean!" Laura took a deep breath. "I believe that making love is what you do when you really love someone and want to express it. I've only just met you so I can't really be in love with you, yet."

"Makes sense." Shawn nodded then laughed. "This is weird. A bit like Freaky Friday mixed with Being John Malkovich."

"It's definitely more like Freak Friday than Being John Malkovich, which was a weird movie."

"So what you're saying is that you and Abigail have switched places."

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone! I'm already going to get into so much trouble for telling you what I have!"

"Alright, but one more question!" Shawn exclaimed as he held up a finger. "Are you really here to help?"

"Yes, I am. I promise." She said sincerely.

"Okay, then! What movie should we watch?"

Laura laughed as she leaned against the couch. "You are taking this very well."

"I am a psychic; I can tell that you're telling the truth. You wouldn't believe half of the things that we've investigated over the years."

"Oh yeah? How about you tell me some of them?"

"Sure, but after I find my copy of Freaky Friday." Shawn grinned as he stood up.

* * *

When the movie was over, Laura looked at the clock. "It's getting late."

"Yeah. Do you want me to drive you home?" Shawn asked as he tossed his trash at the garbage can, barely making it. "Score!"

"I don't know. What would you and Abigail do?"

"We're at that stage where we spend almost every night together."

Laura blushed. "Well, I guess you can come back to my, I mean Abigail's place."

"Are you sure?"

"Like I said, I have to do whatever my host was going to do; I don't want to mess the timeline up too much."

"Okay. Let me clean up first. Gus would kill me if I left a mess again."

"Alright, I'm just going to the bathroom."

As Laura was washing her hands, she heard the imaging chamber door open. "Before you start, Uncle Al, I didn't tell him anything about the project!" She explained as she turned around. "Oh, Ari! I'm so glad that you're here! I thought Uncle Al was about to yell at me some more about saying too much."

"Yeah, he seemed a bit pissed and Mom had to ban him from the control room until he got his temper under control again." Arianna shook her head. "I was just sent to check on ya; see if you need any more info."

Laura shook her head. "Shawn filled me in already. Do you know what I'm here to fix yet?"

"Not yet. Ziggy decided that it was more important to prove that Shawn is not a psychic instead of researching what happens in the next few days." Ari rolled her eyes as Ziggy protested.

Laura sighed and looked back at the mirror. "Tell Ziggy that it doesn't matter whether or not Shawn is a psychic. I need to know what is going to happen so I can change it."

"But if he is a psychic; shouldn't he be able to tell you what is going to happen?"

"Most psychics can't see into their own futures, or at least that's what they claim." Laura said as she fixed her hair. "Besides, if he could, he would have known that I was coming."

Arianna shook her head. "Okay. I'll get dad to kick Ziggy into gear. In the meantime, please be careful."

"I will." Laura smiled at Arianna before leaving the bathroom.

"Everything alright?" Shawn asked from his desk.

"Yeah, everything is fine."

"Good." He nodded as he stood. "Can I have the keys to Abigail's car?"

"You don't have a car?" Laura asked as she grabbed Abigail's purse and started looking through it.

"I have a motorcycle but I haven't been cleared yet to ride it."

"Why? What happened?"

Shawn shrugged as Laura handed him the keys. "I was shot in the shoulder and kidnapped. I finally got the sling off a few days ago, but they want me to wait another week before I get back on the bike."

"But you're okay to drive a car?"

"Yeah. It was my left shoulder and most of the car's instruments are on the right side. I'll be fine."

"Okay." Laura smiled uneasily as they left the office.

When they arrived at Abigail's apartment, it didn't take Laura long to realize that there was only one bed.

"I'll just, grab a blanket and pillow and let you do whatever it is women do before bed." Shawn said as he went into the bedroom.

Laura followed and stopped in the doorway. "You don't have to."

"What?" He asked as he picked up a blanket.

"We can share the bed. That loveseat looks too small for even me to be comfortable."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to do anything that you will regret later."

Laura laughed. "It's just sleeping. We are two adults. We can sleep in the same bed without anything sexual happening. Right?"

"Right."

"Or else you can go sleep in the car."

Shawn raised one hand in the air and put the other over his heart. "I swear on everything good and pineapple-y that I will not try anything fresh with you."

"Good." Laura nodded. "Now, did you want to use the bathroom first?"

"Sure." Shawn smiled as he went into the bathroom.

* * *

Laura sighed as she walked over to the dresser. "This is going to be an interesting leap."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Laura jerked awake at the loud voice.

"If I wasn't a hologram," Al shouted. "I would drag his fake psychic ass out of that bed and into the street and then get my gun!"

Laura groaned and covered her head with the blanket as she felt Shawn stir behind her. "Is that your Uncle Al?" Shawn mumbled.

"Yeah." Laura whispered.

"YOU TOLD HIM MY NAME?! LAURA!" Al yelled, causing Laura to flinch. "Get out of that bed at once! We need to talk!" Al huffed as he hit some buttons on the handlink before disappearing.

Laura sighed as she turned to Shawn. At some point during the night, they had ended up spooning and Laura was pretty sure she knew what Al was upset about. "I've got to talk to him. Feel free to go back to sleep."

"Okay. Yell if you need me." Shawn mumbled as he turned over onto his stomach and hugged the pillow. "But please don't need me."

Laura laughed as she got out of the bed and grabbed the robe that was hanging on the back of the door. As she entered the living room, she found Al pacing the floor, ignoring all the furniture that he was walking through. "So, to what do I owe this lovely visit at…7:23 in the morning?"

"Don't get smart with me, young lady!" Al reprimanded as he continued to pace. "You're in a lot of trouble!"

"Because I offered to share the bed?! The loveseat looks barely big enough to sit on, let alone sleep on! Plus, he's recovering from a bullet to the shoulder." Laura explained as she sat on the aforementioned loveseat.

"I know his type! The lazy drifter who sleeps with any woman they can trick into going to bed with them."

"You told me yesterday that he's been working with the local police department for over 3 years, that's not exactly a drifter."

"He still moves every few months, and not always into actual apartments. His current place is a dry-cleaners and he's about to move into an old law office." Al argued as he checked the handlink.

"So he likes a change of scenery!"

"This is the longest relationship that he's had with a woman; probably since he could walk."

Laura sighed. "Uncle Al. He is a nice guy and nothing happened last night. It got cold and I guess we subconsciously moved closer so we could warm up."

"Trust me; it wasn't just his subconscious that was directing his movements."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Of course it makes sense! He's a guy!" Al snapped before looking at the ceiling. "Can it, Ziggy! I'm fine!"

"Uncle Al! You are going to give yourself another arrhythmia." She sat cross-legged on the loveseat and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. I am proficient in jujutsu, kickboxing, and wrestling. Shawn might be a few inches and pounds more than me, but I am definitely more in shape. Besides, I can tell that he's a good guy."

"He lies to the police!"

"You have no proof that he is lying about being a psychic! Besides, he helps solve cases and put people behind bars. He's on our side. Can we change the record, please?"

"What all have you been telling him?!"

"Nothing much." She shrugged.

"How does he know my name?!"

"It slipped out just after I leaped in and he made the connection later on."

"What else does he know?"

"My first name."

Al shook his head. "This is a bad idea. We need to get you out of here! If only Sam had a chance to look over the retrieval system before he left."

"Dr. Beckett left?" Laura asked, eager to change the subject.

"He went to Indiana to visit his family."

"Oh good, I'm glad."

"But as soon as he gets back, I'm having him look at the retrieval program!"

"Okay. So, any info about this leap?"

Al took a deep breath as he looked at the handlink. "Ziggy says that sometime on December 30th, Abigail Lytar disappears and Shawn is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Her body is never found."

Laura was shocked and it took a minute for her to find her voice again. "W-what?! I don't believe that! What other information is there?!"

"According to the police report, on Wednesday, just after dusk, Shawn calls Detective Carlton Lassiter of the Santa Barbara Police Department, claiming that Shawn and Abigail had gone for a walk in the mountains. At some point, someone supposedly jumped out of the trees and pushed them both over the edge of a cliff. Shawn managed to grab onto a branch and pull himself back up. He was scratched up pretty badly with a torn arm muscle and a concussion, but otherwise was fine. When they couldn't find any evidence of a third person, they charged Shawn. He was sentenced to a year in prison."

"Then we won't go for a walk on Wednesday."

"If Shawn is the murderer, then he'll just find some other way to kill Abigail."

Laura shook her head. "I don't believe that Shawn is capable of murder. Ask Ziggy about the odds of Shawn telling the truth that they were pushed over the cliff."

Al entered it into the handlink and waited a minute. "63.7%"

"See! Shawn didn't do it!"

"Of course not!" Shawn said as he entered the living room. "Why would I kill anyone? I don't even like hitting someone unless they hit me first. Except Gus, but best friends should be anticipating hits."

Laura laughed. "Sorry Uncle Al, but I'm going to have to believe Shawn, unless you can give me solid proof."

Al looked between them before saying, "I say you ditch him, and enjoy a mini-vacation while staying as far away from him as possible."

"Bye Uncle Al." Laura smiled as she stood and headed for the kitchen. Once she heard the Imaging Chamber door close, she glanced back at Shawn. "Any preference for breakfast?"

"I feel like I missed a lot." Shawn shook his head as he followed Laura.

Laura laughed as she opened the fridge. "Yeah. Don't worry, we'll change history and everything will be fine. So, breakfast?"

"Yes. But first I must ask: Can you cook?"

"Well, I can follow recipes. So as long as the recipe makes sense and doesn't ask me to improvise, then we should be fine."

"Can you make pineapple pancakes?" Shawn asked as he held up a whole pineapple.

"If you can find me a recipe and you cut up the pineapple." Laura smiled as she pulled out the eggs and milk.

"One pancake recipe and sliced pineapple coming up." Shawn smiled as he pulled out a box of pancake mix and a container of pineapple pieces.

Laura laughed, "Even better."

* * *

Shawn spent that morning telling Laura everything that she needed to know about Abigail. While they were eating lunch, Shawn's phone rang. "Hello Chief! How are you this fine morning?" Shawn answered with a smile. "A murder? Yes, I can be there soon….Jules will send me the address?…Great! Bye Chief." He ended the call and looked at Laura. "So, ever seen a dead body before?"

She laughed. "No."

"Do you want to?"

"What?! No!"

"Aww, come on! It'll be fun!" Shawn exclaimed as he jumped up.

"Seeing a dead body is fun?" She asked skeptically.

He grinned, "It's all about your perspective. Come on!"

* * *

As they exited the car, Shawn said, "Okay, so the main people that you need to know are Lassie and Jules. Lassie, aka Detective Carlton Lassiter, is the tall, grumpy guy that looks like he's been sucking on lemons. Jules is the blonde detective who…"

"SPENCER!" They heard someone yell as they entered the small house. "Why are you bringing a date to a crime scene?!"

Shawn bounced up to the tall and lanky detective, and grinned. "Well, Lassie, you know that I'm on vacation with Abs, you shouldn't have called me if you didn't want her to tag along!"

Lassiter crossed his arms and he glared at Shawn. "I didn't call you, the Chief did. I would never call you!"

"Aw, come on Lassie! We both know that that's not true! I bring the fun in fungshey and the happy in happening."

"Neither of those make sense."

"Of course they do!" Shawn exclaimed as he looked around the room. "So, what do we know?"

"You're the 'psychic', you tell me!"

"Wow, air quotes, Lassie? Really? What are we, back in elementary school?"

"You are the one that seems stuck in childhood." Lassiter growled as he walked down the short hallway.

"Shawn. Was that really necessary?" Laura asked as they slowly followed Lassiter. "He looks like he was about to hit you."

"Aww, relax. Lassie hardly ever hits. Besides, he is all bark and no bite!" As they neared the bedroom, Shawn stopped her. "You can wait outside if you need to."

"I'm okay, I think." Laura whispered as she tried to breathe through the smell of decaying flesh. "I'll leave if needed."

Shawn smiled before turning back to the room. "So Jules, what can you tell me?"

Juliet smiled uneasily at Shawn and Laura before looking at her notes. "Not much yet. Victim's name is George Hamilton. A neighbor walking their dog reported a suspicious van in the driveway this morning, no plates. It was gone by the time police arrived. When officers did a perimeter check, one of them noticed some blood leading from the driveway to the backdoor. They entered and found the victim in this room, blinds closed. Preliminary reports were unable to determine the time of death, although it looks like the victim had bled out somewhere else."

Lassiter rolled his eyes. "It's obvious from the lack of blood here that the victim bled out somewhere else. We need to track down the van. From the looks of the body, it hasn't decomposed too much, so our victim was most likely killed within the last 24 hours."

"Come on, Lassie! You're just thinking in 2D! You gotta think in 3D with time being a huge factor!" Shawn exclaimed.

"Actually," Laura interrupted. "Time is the fourth dimension, so you should be looking at things in 4D, not 3D."

"This is not a sci-fi book!" Carlton snapped.

Laura frowned at him. "No, it isn't. Physicists count time and space as the fourth dimension. You need to determine not only the exact location and position in which the victim was found, but also the time at which the body was left here. Time is a huge factor in determining how the victim was killed. The killer had to time it just right for everything to come together the way it did, or else they got really lucky, which is highly unlikely."

"Well, we're detectives, not physicists. We have to find our evidence first."

"Maybe that's why you have such a hard time with cases and have to call in a psychic."

The room was silent as Laura and Lassiter glared at each other. Finally, Shawn coughed, "I think my psychic powers have passed to Abigail and she is channeling a scientist. Excuse us as we try to straighten out our problem." Shawn gently tugged on Laura's arm.

Laura broke eye contact with Lassiter and slowly followed Shawn.

"What was that?!" Shawn whispered once they were outside.

Laura shrugged. "I was just trying to help. As amusing as your conversations are, I felt like I needed to intervene. Besides, I may not be an expert with dead bodies, but I can recognize frostbite and the affects of defrosted meat, or flesh in this case. "

Shawn nodded as he closed his eyes and held a finger to his forehead. "The spirits are telling me that he was most likely held in a freezer after he was killed, possibly even as he slowly bled out."

"The spirits can't be more specific?" Laura asked skeptically as they walked towards the car.

"Hey, it's a gift to be able to communicate with the spirits. Sometimes, it's hard to interpret what they have to say."

"You know, I have a theory."

"About the case?" Shawn asked as he leaned against the car.

"About you." Laura said softly as she stepped closer.

"Really? That I'm addicted to pineapple and all things 80s? Because that's not exactly a secret." Shawn grinned nervously.

Laura shook her head as she looked around. There were a few officers near the house, so Laura stepped right into Shawn's personal space and whispered, "I'm not stupid. In fact, I'm smart, scary smart. When I was 8, they said my IQ was almost 200. I could have graduated high school by age 10, except my momma wanted me to be as much of a real kid as possible, so instead I graduated at age 15. In 5 and a half years of college, I completed three degrees and mastered four languages. Besides being scary smart, I'm also good at reading people. I can tell when someone is lying. I can even tell when they are recalling something from memory or using deductive reasoning. So please, don't insult my intelligence and I won't spill your secret!" Laura threatened the last part and continued to glare at Shawn as they stood in silence.

They both jumped when they heard clapping. "Woo! Right on girl!" Arianna exclaimed. "You tell him!"

Laura blushed as she stepped back. "Ari! Please stop!"

"That was so hot." Shawn whispered.

Laura tsked and shoved him off the car door. "Of course you would find that hot. But you ain't getting anything sexual from me!"

Shawn rubbed his arm. "I know! Abs would kill me if we did. Plus, are you even of age?"

"Yes! I'm even old enough to legally drink." Laura replied as she got in and shut the door.

"Not by much, I'd wager. Right, Ari?" Shawn asked as he walked around to the driver's side.

"I am not a part of this." Ari said as she repositioned herself so she was sitting in the backseat.

"So, Ari." Laura asked as she turned slightly so she could see Arianna out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have anything useful?"

"Not much." Arianna shrugged as she checked the handlink. "The odds of you two being attacked while on a hike have gone down, but Ziggy is still predicting that Abigail is going to die."

"Then why are you here? Not that I don't love seeing you! I miss you so much!"

"And I you! The project isn't the same without you! Even Ziggy…Oops! Can Shawn hear me?" Arianna asked nervously.

Laura frowned as she looked at Shawn. "I don't think so. Shawn, can you hear Ari?"

"Nothing more than static." Shawn shrugged as he started driving. "I think your Uncle Al is clearer, although I still can't understand what he says either."

"Anyways," Arianna began. "Dad wanted to make sure that you two were not getting into trouble. He would have come himself but he still hasn't really calmed down from earlier. Mom and Aunt Donna are threatening to ban him from the control room for the rest of the leap."

"Wow. Tell him not to worry, I can handle Shawn."

"Pssh!" Shawn interrupted. "You've only just met me! You totally can't handle me."

"Really? Do I need to have a talk with some detectives about their fake psychic?"

"I can turn you in too!"

"Who would believe you?" Laura challenged.

"Gus! Except he's in non-communication mode right now."

"So, you've got nothing?"

"Basically."

Arianna laughed and checked the handlink when it beeped. "I gotta go, apparently Dad wants to talk."

"Good luck." Laura flashed Arianna a smile before she left. Turning back to Shawn, she asked, "So, where to now?"

"Psych office. We need to research the victim."

"You mean you didn't 'psychically' figure that out already? Because I already know."

"Okay, smarty pants. Where does the victim work?"

"Howard Hanna real estate." Laura replied with a smile.

"Good job. Maybe I should have you as my business partner. I bet you would be a lot more helpful than Gus, especially since you didn't scream and run away from your first dead body."

"As tempting as that offer is, I think that I would strangle you within a week, which would be the end of your practice, and probably your life too. Although, I do have the perfect way of hiding from the cops. So you better be careful before you wind up dead and your girlfriend in jail, although I would probably hide her before I leave."

Shawn glanced at her with concern. "It's scary how calm you are right now."

"Thank you!" Laura grinned as she turned on the radio. "Oh! I love this song! This was like my theme song when I started college."

"Whatever you say, Avril."

"Dude, this is Kelly Clarkson, although Avril Lavigne did co-write it."

"I've heard it both ways." Shawn shrugged.


End file.
